After drawing up the original contract for the firm and designing its logo, he withdrew his 10pc stake and walked away with €1,200. But speaking from his home in a remote desert town near Death Valley, Nevada, the little known third founder of the electronics giant Apple said he had no regrets.

Mr Wayne (75) relinquished a stake that would now be worth around €17bn. He lives on a state pension and deals in old stamps and coins to supplement his income.

His two former friends, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, have joined the ranks of the super-rich. Mr Jobs is still chairman and CEO of Apple.

Mr Wayne met the technology boss while working at the Atari computer company in California before drawing up a deal.

He said Mr Jobs asked him to take 10pc and chose him because they believed he would be "balanced and reasonable".